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The benefits of working for yourself from home are clearly obvious to all but one thing that it is important for you to bear in mind is that those very benefits can sometimes work against you if you do not manage you time and space properly.

Your Space:

One of the reasons that many people decide to start running a business from the comfort of their own home is simply to get away from the office. The daily commute takes precious hours out of your week and the traffic is not the best way to start your day (or end it). Perhaps it's the people in the office that they don't get on with or the harsh fluorescent lighting. It could be the same 2 day old sandwiches for lunch everyday or that things just aren't run as smoothly as they'd like.

Whatever the reason, being at home can eliminate all of that, and you get to go to work in your PJs. But what you need to remember is that once you start to work from home your house becomes your office and it is vitally important to your success that you treat it as such.

1-Create a workspace.

If you are currently working from your kitchen table or have your laptop balanced on your knees with the TV on then you are not giving yourself the space you need. Find yourself a part of the house that you can call your own.

2- Tell your family.

Once you have cordoned off a part of the house that is just yours it's important that you let your family know. Explain to those around you that this is the area where you'll be working from and ask that they respect that. When you're in your office (and that is how you need to see the space) ask that your children, partner, parents or house mates do not disturb you in any way that they wouldn't if you were in a corporate building.

This may not sound like something you want to do, especially if one of the reasons that you decided to work from home was to spend more time with your loved ones but it is important that you are given the time and space to make your business as successful as possible as quickly as possible and therefore freeing more time in the near future.

3- Get organized.

Once you have your space you need to make it conducive to a working environment. Spend a little time and money (yes the 'M' word) and surround your self with the things that you will need to run your business. Organize the space around you so that the things you need most are always close at hand and in full supply. If you can get a separate phone line into your space you should.

As well as adding the things you need, like a filing cabinet and a good chair, remember to get rid of the things you don't need. It's very easy to get distracted and having non work related items like the washing, the kid's toys or the weekly shopping list, in your line of sight is a sure-fire way of making your days less productive.

4- Go to work

Huh? It is important that you treat your home based business with the respect it deserves. Getting into the right frame of mind will help you do that. When you start working from home don't make the mistake of thinking that you can just do it as and when it suits you. Get yourself prepared in the mornings, eat a hearty breakfast and go to your office space ready to get the job done.

5- Get motivated.

Whatever it is that drives you in your work make sure you have a representation of it close to you. If it's making enough money to send the kids to the best schools then keeping a picture of them along side a list of the most prestigious schools in the country will act as a nudge when you're having those off days. One very successful online marketer would create a wish board that he hung above his desk with pictures of all the things he wanted to achieve in the future. Or perhaps there is a particular phrase that really gets you pumped into taking action. Whatever it is make sure that it's available to you at a glance so that your own motivation is never far away and neither will your goals be.